Deadly Knife
by AndromedaMarine
Summary: Kolya frowned. “If you do not stand down I will kill Dr. Weir.” He lifted the knife and placed it against Elizabeth’s throat. Set during "The Storm"/"The Eye." COMPLETE.
1. The Order

**Deadly Knife by AndromedaMarine**

_The Order_

Kolya coughed over the radio. He'd just sent two of his best Genii warriors to dispatch of Major Sheppard. His anger heightened when Sora came on. "He's – Sheppard's killed them," she said, astonished. "This guy's good."

Kolya growled. He glared intensely at Elizabeth and Rodney, whose eyes were both ecstatic that John was coming and scared to death that Kolya would kill them. He snatched the radio from the control desk and cleared his throat. "Major Sheppard, I demand that you surrender."

"Over my dead body," John snapped back, still running through the city towards the control tower. The storm was only an hour away. "Or yours, perhaps?"

Kolya laughed a heartless laugh. Elizabeth cringed and seized Rodney's arm for reassurance. "I have a different suggestion." He motioned for a Genii guard to get Elizabeth, who fought back wildly. Kolya deftly handled a long, evil knife and inspected it.

"Oh yeah? Are you going to leave?"

The Genii warrior frowned. "No. If you do not stand down I will kill Dr. Weir." He lifted the knife and placed it against Elizabeth's throat.

John, still halfway across the city, paled. If they killed Elizabeth, he wouldn't know what to do. He would never fully admit it to anyone but himself, but he loved her. He _loved_ her. Every part of her. And if they killed her, she would never know his true feelings. Distantly he heard the thunder explode above the city. The storm was getting very near. "Kolya, if you kill her I swear on my life you will die too."

"Stand down."

John bit his lip. Elizabeth would tell him to keep fighting, but if he did Elizabeth would die.

"Don't do it, John!" Elizabeth yelled from the grips of the guards who restrained her. Kolya pressed the knife closer and the leader cringed, eyeing the sharp blade tentatively.

"You have ten seconds," Kolya said shrewdly, his frigid eyes glaring at Elizabeth and McKay. "Nine...eight...seven...six..."

"Elizabeth..." John said, needing an answer.

"Five...four..."

"Elizabeth!" He started to run toward the tower.

"Three...two..."

"Kolya! Don't do it!" John yelled, charging down the darkened hallway. He had to get to the control room. He had to get to Elizabeth and Rodney. He had to kill Kolya.

"One."

John skidded to a stop and ceased breathing, listening hard to the radio. Had he just cost his leader her life?

"Weir is dead." He laughed coldly and turned the radio off.

Nearly all the strength left John's body and the heartless Genii's words echoed in his head and through the empty hallway. _Weir is dead._ She couldn't be dead – not now. Not ever. But Kolya had lied before – it was entirely possible he had been bluffing about killing Elizabeth. He paled again. Oh, God. Maybe they had killed McKay instead – just telling him it was Elizabeth had been a ploy. His head started to hurt as he thought about the different possibilities.

Adeptly he shot four more Genii guards from his hiding place as they stalked him; soon Kolya would run out of men. _Weir is dead._ He pressed on, getting ever closer to the tower. Half a mile now; it would be so much faster if the damn transporters were working. _Weir is dead._ He loved her. Correction – he loves her.

And he was going to kill Kolya no matter what. His heart hardened, keeping only Elizabeth inside. He was going to make Kolya pay.


	2. Reinforcements

**Deadly Knife by AndromedaMarine**

_Reinforcements?_

A quarter mile to the tower. He could run that in a minute; military training had done its duty. But there were Genii swarming everywhere. Okay, so there were only six of them. Kolya had to know he had to send for reinforcements sooner or later. He heard the Stargate vortex spew out and he heard Kolya speak over the radio as he neared the gateroom. It was quite easy to silence Genii soldiers (or any soldier, person, or beast, at that) with a knife, he'd learned, if he covered their mouths first to block that shout of surprise. The six guards fell rapidly.

"Send through another sixty men," Kolya said to the Genii leader, Cowen, on the other side of the Stargate. John winced. Sixty. That would be tough to deal with. He knew the city by now like the back of his hand. He darted through the shadows until he reached the back stairway leading up to where the control room. He started up slowly, and saw Rodney. The Canadian's mouth was taped shut, as were his hands taped together. Rodney saw John and his eyes bugged.

"Where's Liz?" he mouthed, crouching out of Kolya's sight.

Rodney shook his head, his eyes still bugging. He shifted so John could see his arm. There was a huge red splotch on it. John's heart plummeted, but the blood was Rodney's. He still couldn't see Elizabeth. The gate shut down and immediately began dialing again; this must be the reinforcements. Kolya walked down to the control room and five Genii warriors strolled through before John leapt up and erected the shield. Fifty-five Genii slammed against it, ending their lives in the most humane way.

Kolya's expression morphed into one of rage and pure fury. He spun around and saw John, who waved back. "Sorry, were those your friends?" he asked curiously. He ducked when the five that had gotten through started shooting at him. Quickly John slit Rodney's bonds and the scientist ripped the tape away from his mouth. "Where's Liz?"

Rodney didn't get a chance to answer because John leapt up and started shooting with his P90. He heard other P90 gunfire in the gateroom. He chanced a glance and saw Lt. Ford fighting heroically. Kolya was still in the gateroom. One of the two that had tried ambushing John (which they failed miserably at) had managed to dial the Genii world before getting pumped full of lead. Then John saw Kolya dragging a definitely alive Elizabeth Weir toward the event horizon. He was using her as a human shield, and Ford was unsure as he pointed the P90 at Kolya's head.


	3. Making Her Believe

**Deadly Knife by AndromedaMarine**

_Making Her Believe_

John joined Ford and lifted a 9 mil, accurately aiming it at Kolya's exposed right shoulder near the neck. "Let her go," he said forcefully as the Genii started into the event horizon. He made a silent pact with Elizabeth by looking into her eyes and she squeezed hers shut, knowing what was going to happen before it did.

The deafening blast of a bullet leaving the chamber of a gun roared into everyone's ears. The Genii stumbled backwards, the fatal blow hitting him too close to the neck to allow for recovery. And then Elizabeth was falling, not sure if she had gone through with Kolya or if that cold surface was the gateroom floor. Warm hands on her arms – who was that? She opened her eyes and saw John's hazel ones hovering above her, filled with worry and relief. He helped her sit up, and he kept his hands on her arms.

"He said he killed you," John breathed, not caring who was looking on. He vaguely saw Teyla and a cooperating Sora carry Beckett into the gateroom with difficulty, and Rodney working furiously at a laptop, trying to get the shield operational. And not a moment too soon. The lightning struck with intense force, and the shield erected, just as the massive wave barreled towards the city. "He said he killed you."

Elizabeth stared into John's eyes, still frightened and shaking violently. "He told me that you were dead too," she whispered, still just staring up into John's eyes. In that moment where the knife had actually cut part of her neck – she tilted her head so John could see the small slit still lightly bleeding – she thought she was going to die as well. She had her secrets, some of which she had planned to get out before she took her last breath. John ripped part of his shirt's hem off and pressed it against the slit on her neck. He returned his hand to her arm and he squeezed.

Unconsciously her arms gripped John's in return, and they both just stayed on the floor, looking at each other. After a few minutes he helped her up, and when he saw her still shaking, he put an arm around her, pulling her close. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, his eyes still piercing hers. "I guess neither of us is dead," he continued, immediately feeling stupid after he said it. Rodney looked at him funny, a questioning eyebrow shooting to the ceiling.

Beckett started to come around, and almost immediately McKay was pestering him about the cut on his arm.

Almost unnoticed, the military commander and the leader of the city slowly walked down the hall as far as the lightning still charging around the city would let them. They found a dark, empty room and Elizabeth pressed up against the wall, sliding to the floor. "Lizbeth? Are you okay?" He still felt stupid asking the question, because she was obviously physically fine. But his eyes and voice were full of worry and concern.

She shuddered and instantly he was beside her, lifting her chin so she could look at him. Even in the dim light he saw tears in her eyes. She shook her head, dislodging his hand. "I thought we I was going to die. I thought you were."

"But we didn't."

Elizabeth bit her lip. "After he said over the radio that I was dead, I think he hit me because the last thing I remember is being dragged toward the gate," she whispered. "I still feel like I'm in a haze. I don't know if I just dreaming or not."

John was silent for a moment. "I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said it's all real?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I wouldn't." A single tear fell and slowed right above her upper lip.

The major took her chin again, leaned in, and kissed away the tear. He began to pull away to ask her if that felt real, but her answer was with the kiss she returned, her hands finding his hair and keeping him in place. Lack of oxygen became an issue and John pulled away, regretfully. "Now would you believe me?" he asked with a grin.

Suddenly she was embarrassed at what she had just done, with her second in _command_, of all people. She looked down at her hands that John had grasped and flexed her fingers, curling them around John's hand. "Oh, look...I – I'm sorry." Now she wanted to procrastinate the truth she'd been so worried about not being able to tell as long as she could.

He looked at her with wounded eyes, but he left his hand in hers. There was something else in that kiss and John was pretty sure he knew what it was. He wouldn't put his secret off any longer. "You don't have to be sorry, Liz." This time he just brushed his lips over hers, waiting for a reaction. If he wasn't mistaken, she would return it. And she did.

Nerves of fire lit up in the pleasure centre of Elizabeth's brain and she hungrily kissed him back, keeping him as close as she could for as long as she could.

When she released him, John smiled. "I think it's safe to say I love you."

She gave him a brief flicker of a smile. "Ditto."


	4. Epilogue: Aftermath

**Deadly Knife by AndromedaMarine**

_Epilogue: Aftermath_

The storm passed and everyone was relocated back to Atlantis. Rodney and Radek bickered about the systems that had been affected by the rerouting of power for the lightning, and their debate could be heard well down the hall from their lab. At the times he wasn't bickering with the Czech, Rodney frequented the commissary, hoarding a much-needed supply of coffee and doughnuts. He passed Major Sheppard on his way back to the lab, but the major's look was distant. Rodney stopped and difficultly waved a hand in front of John's face.

"Major? You okay?" He stuffed a doughnut into his mouth and chewed, small bits of the food falling onto the floor.

John glanced at Rodney and grimaced. "Aw, man, Rodney, learn some manners!" He shook his head in disgust and set off with a new pace in the direction that looked suspiciously like it led to Elizabeth's quarters.

John did pass Elizabeth's quarters on his way to his room, slowing down and stopping outside the door, but not knocking. The whole hallway was silent; no sound came from the leader's room. Instead of continue on to his room he turned around and started jogging toward the pier on which Elizabeth had been held hostage in the freezing, battering rain. It took him a little while to get there; but he did use the godsend referred to as a transporter.

He walked out into the chilly breeze that was leftover from the storm the day previous. The sky had returned to its usual happy and welcoming colour of blue; small white clouds dotted the horizon. He didn't have to look far to find the head full of curls and the small arms wrapped around her body. He sat next to her, and she jumped when she felt him beside her body. Glancing at him she relaxed and he put an arm around her, warming her.

"Are you feeling better today?" he asked, staring out over the ocean with her.

She nodded, one hand resting on John's leg.

"No regrets?" he asked, alluding to the two kisses they'd shared the day before.

She shook her head, and turned to face him. "Somehow I think that we'll face more metaphorical knives than the one that could have killed me."

John kissed the tip of her nose. "And somehow I think we'll survive." He captured her lips and absently his hand slid to her neck, where the deadly knife had almost taken her away from him. He would guard her with his life, and never again would Kolya set foot on Atlantis.

The aftermath had gone well.


End file.
